Why can’t Dalits declare themselves as upper caste ?

Why can’t we declare ourselves as an astronaut and our home as ‘Jupiter’?

Ans – Because neither we are astronaut nor our home is on Jupiter.

Dalits are not upper caste neither lower caste, they are lowest among lower castes. Lower castes are majoritarily comsists of the OBC communities who these days flaunt their newly got Kshatriya identity and oppress Dalits in villages where they dominate. The political use of ‘Dalit’ word geared up after 1972 when ‘Dalit Panthers’, a Scheduled Caste militia got established after being infulenced by ‘Black Panthers’ of U.S. Dalit is a Marathi word means, people who are oppressed & lack resources. So, now all of us can understand about the meaning of this word and why it was used for certain people.

Though now scenario have been changed after decades and many OBC & upper castes are also in very harsh conditions. But the question is do ‘Dalit’ word can be used for them? Completely no because they are poor not oppressed neither they stand low in social hierarchy as Dalits.

Let me take you to rural India, here two poor families lived a poor Brahmin and a poor Chamar now every body used to treat Brahmin family like one among them, they used to invite his family in marriages and deaths, even rich landlord’s children used to do ‘pranam’ or wish the Brahmin guy and were always supportive to his family in the times of needs. Now, Chamar’s family was also very poor but he never received such love from the rich or even middle class of village (except people of his own caste). He was from Chamar caste but used to do a farm labour so his work was also not polluting but still people maintained a distance from him and never used to call in any ceremonies. So we all can see here two poors but different treatment why? It’s clearly evident, it’s because of his caste people discriminate and segregate them.

Now, suddenly Chamar migrated to city and opened his own business of leather tanning. He changed his name Jai Ram to Jai Singh (Ram surname mostly used among Dalits in North India) and started living a life similar to upper castes. He became rich and built a mansion in his village. He thought everything is going to change now, the society will treat him well and respect him. Finally, his son took charge of factory and he started living in his village. But now people used to laugh when they see name plate as ‘Jai Singh’ and make his fun that Chamar is thinking by adding Singh as surname he will become a Rajput. Later, the ignorance turned into enmity and people who used to discriminate him were now eager to suppress him because of the rise of a Dalit infront of an upper caste was not tolerable. He opened a grocery shop in his home and kept products at very reasonable prices. But inspite of having everything his business was totally ignored by village people and the monopoly of Baniya shopkeeper continued. He also brought some land for farming but local Rajput landlords started grabbing his land & he was killed. And all these crimes happened just because of caste how can a Chamar showoff land like we landlord’s and how can he wear like us, sport his moustache and ride a SUV?

So this is what happens when a Dalit try to assert and behave like upper castes. Upper castes themselves don’t tolerate this so it is going to result in murders and caste shaming. Many Dalits hide their caste by upper caste surnames but when gets accidentally exposed people make fun of them. So a normal surname change can kill we Dalits because it will hurt upper caste’s hierarchy.

Dalit is a permanent identity and we can’t change it. Upper castes have to accept Dalits as they are not by making them uppee caste jusy because it will help them in abolition of reservation.